With the longstanding and persistent rumors of Switch 2 it's interesting to see Nintendo be candid about their position here. With Microsoft supposedly rumored to be bowing out of home console development in the foreseeable future I wonder how that influences Nintendo's decision-making. It's certainly an interesting development and seems next-gen may shake things up in terms of major players in the market.As translated by VGC, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa recently appeared in a financial briefing Q&A with shareholders to discuss the issue of generational transition to a new console. Shuntaro claimed that the company is not “totally secure” about moving over to the next-gen due to some flawed past experiences. However, he has clarified the publisher takes the matter seriously and wants to face the transition with “unique propositions.”
"The generational transition of platforms in the dedicated gaming console business is never easy. We have experienced significant challenges following successful platforms multiple times, so we never consider our current situation to be totally secure,” said the president.
The president also talks about the various challenges it faces in the dedicated console business, which makes the shift to the Nintendo Switch successor much harder. So, the company wants to continue offering “unique propositions to become a brand that customers choose.” Shuntaro admits that to overcome a slew of challenges, sticking with the current hardware-software console business is the best strategy at the moment.
Therefore, various internal researches and developments are underway over at Nintendo. The president mentions that Nintendo consoles are “not daily necessities,” so people can quickly lose attention if they are not interesting.
"Therefore, it’s crucial to continue efforts to make Nintendo feel close, even outside of the dedicated gaming console, increase customers who support Nintendo IP over the long term, and maintain connections with our customers.”
Hopefully Nintendo does well, I've grown quite a dislike for Sony & Microsoft over the past decade now, and they're only getting worse in many ways. What I'd like to see is Sony bow out next, and see Valve step up with a more mainstream Steam Deck 2 to take the position for stronger consoles, seeing as Nintendo's hardware nowadays is always on the weaker end.